Rig Veda Sukta 13
Mandala 1Sukta 1312 Mantras

Sukta 13

Sukta 1.13

Rishi

Medhātithi Kāṇva (traditional attribution for RV 1.13)

Devata

Agni

Chandas

Gāyatrī

RV 1.13 é um hino de convite conciso: ele acende Agni como hotṛ e mensageiro, pedindo-lhe que traga os deuses ao sacrifício e torne eficaz a oferenda. Os versos avançam como uma chamada ritual, invocando os principais poderes divinos (incluindo a Noite e a Aurora) para se sentarem no barhis e tomarem sua parte, culminando no yajña doméstico preparado com svāhā, para que os deuses se reúnam e fortaleçam o sacrificante.

Recitation with translationRig Veda 1.13

Mantras

Mantra 1

सुसमिद्धो न आ वह देवाँ अग्ने हविष्मते । होतः पावक यक्षि च ॥

Bem aceso, traz‑nos os deuses, ó Agni, para aquele que porta a oferenda; ó sacerdote, ó purificador, realiza o yaj — o dar e o receber no interior.

Mantra 2

मधुमन्तं तनूनपाद्यज्ञं देवेषु नः कवे । अद्या कृणुहि वीतये ॥

Ó Tanūnapāt, ó kavi, torna o nosso yajña rico em mel entre os deuses; hoje molda-o para a vīti, a sua vinda jubilosa e o seu desfrutar.

Mantra 3

नराशंसमिह प्रियमस्मिन्यज्ञ उप ह्वये । मधुजिह्वं हविष्कृतम् ॥

Nārāśaṃsa, o amado, eu o invoco aqui, a este yajña: de língua de mel, artífice do havis — para que a palavra se faça doçura que leva a oblação da nossa vontade.

Mantra 4

अग्ने सुखतमे रथे देवाँ ईळित आ वह । असि होता मनुर्हितः ॥

Ó Agni, no carro mais bem-aventurado (sukhatama), traz os deuses — a ti, o louvado; tu és o Hotar, estabelecido por Manu, a vontade que institui a ordem humana do sacrifício.

Mantra 5

स्तृणीत बर्हिरानुषग्घृतपृष्ठं मनीषिणः । यत्रामृतस्य चक्षणम् ॥

Estendei o barhis em ordem sucessiva, ó sábios—com o dorso ungido de ghee—ali onde se contempla a visão da imortalidade.

Mantra 6

वि श्रयन्तामृतावृधो द्वारो देवीरसश्चतः । अद्या नूनं च यष्टवे ॥

Que se escancarem as portas divinas, que fazem crescer o ṛta—sem falhar—hoje, agora, para o cumprimento da oferenda.

Mantra 7

नक्तोषासा सुपेशसास्मिन्यज्ञ उप ह्वये । इदं नो बर्हिरासदे ॥

A Noite e a Aurora, belas de forma, eu as invoco para junto deste sacrifício; sentai-vos sobre este nosso barhis.

Mantra 8

ता सुजिह्वा उप ह्वये होतारा दैव्या कवी । यज्ञं नो यक्षतामिमम् ॥

A esses dois, de boa língua, eu chamo para perto — os dois Hotṛ divinos, poetas‑videntes; que realizem para nós este sacrifício.

Mantra 9

इळा सरस्वती मही तिस्रो देवीर्मयोभुवः । बर्हिः सीदन्त्वस्रिधः ॥

Iḷā, Sarasvatī, Mahī — as três deusas benfazejas; que se assentem no Barhis, sem ferida, sem defeito.

Mantra 10

इह त्वष्टारमग्रियं विश्वरूपमुप ह्वये । अस्माकमस्तु केवलः ॥

Aqui eu chamo para perto Tvaṣṭṛ, o excelso, o de todas as formas; que ele seja inteiramente nosso.

Mantra 11

अव सृजा वनस्पते देव देवेभ्यो हविः । प्र दातुरस्तु चेतनम् ॥

Liberta e envia, ó Senhor da Madeira, a oferenda aos deuses; que desperte e avance a consciência do doador.

Mantra 12

स्वाहा यज्ञं कृणोतनेन्द्राय यज्वनो गृहे । तत्र देवाँ उप ह्वये ॥

Svāhā: preparai o sacrifício na casa do ofertante, para Indra; ali chamo os deuses a se aproximarem.

Inside Sukta 13

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    Agni is kindled and addressed as the effective Hotṛ who can bring the gods to the sacrificer.

  2. Development

    The hymn expands into a structured invitation—deities are called to approach, sit on the barhis, and participate, aligning the rite with cosmic rhythms (e.g., Night and Dawn).

  3. Climax

    The sacrifice is declared ‘made’ with svāhā in the yajamāna’s house, and the gods are summoned to assemble there in full presence.

  4. Where it settles

    A settled, hospitable conclusion: the rite stands prepared, the divine guests are invited, and Agni’s mediation secures participation and blessing.

The deity: Agni

  • In the VedaAgni is the well-kindled flame, the Hotṛ-priest and purifier (pāvaka), the divine messenger who carries offerings and summons the gods to the rite.
  • Cosmic functionHe mediates between human and divine realms by conveying oblations, establishing ṛta through sacrifice, and sustaining the sacrificial order that links earth and heaven.
  • Inner significanceThe awakened will and luminous intelligence that ‘kindles’ aspiration, purifies intention, and carries one’s offerings (effort, speech, breath) toward higher consciousness.

The seer

  • Medhātithi KāṇvaKāṇva (Kanva-gotra) · A prominent Kāṇva seer of Mandala 1, remembered for clear, liturgically practical Agni-invocations that function as formal invitations (āhvāna) within the soma-less domestic and śrauta fire settings.

Famous verses

susamiddho na ā vaha devān agne
Verse 1.13.1Sets the hymn’s core function: Agni as well-kindled messenger and Hotṛ who brings the gods and performs the offering as purifier.Read verse 1.13.1 →
naktoṣāsā supeśasā
Verse 1.13.7Notable for explicitly inviting Night and Dawn and asking them to sit upon the barhis—linking sacrifice to the sacred rhythm of time and transition.Read verse 1.13.7 →
svāhā yajñaṃ kṛṇotana
Verse 1.13.12Concluding, household-centered sealing with svāhā: the yajña is made ready for Indra and the gods are called to gather at the prepared inner ‘home’ of the rite.Read verse 1.13.12 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Hotṛ (sacrificial priest)
  • Dūta (messenger who brings the gods)
  • Pāvaka (purifier)
  • Bearer of havis (oblation-carrier)
  • Kindler of yajña and guardian of ṛta

Also by this seer

  • Multiple hymns in Rigveda Mandala 1 traditionally attributed to Kāṇva seers (Kāṇva-anuvāka), especially Agni-focused sūktas
  • Association with the broader Kāṇva hymn-collection in the Rigveda (family corpus)

The rite, step by step

  • Kindle and steady the fire (susamiddha agni) with attentive recitation.
  • Invoke Agni as Hotṛ and Pāvaka; request him to bring the devas to the offering.
  • Prepare and spread the barhis (sacrificial seat); invite deities to sit and partake.
  • Call paired powers such as Night and Dawn to the rite, aligning the sacrifice with time and order.
  • Offer havis with svāhā, making the yajña ‘ready’ in the sacrificer’s home; conclude with a collective invitation to the gods.

Offerings

  • Ghee (ājya)
  • Grain/cakes (puroḍāśa-like havis)
  • Fuel-sticks (samidh)
  • Svāhā-accompanied oblations

Frequently Asked Questions

It is an invitation hymn: Agni is kindled and asked to bring the gods to the sacrifice, seat them on the barhis, and make the offerings reach them effectively.

Night and Dawn mark the sacred transitions of time; invoking them aligns the ritual with cosmic order and signals an auspicious moment for divine presence at the yajña.

“Svāhā” is the offering-call that seals an oblation; here it declares the sacrifice properly prepared (especially for Indra) and invites the gods to gather in the sacrificer’s home-rite.

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